"...The
Jacksonville Planning Commission on Thursday deferred voting
on a bill that would set an 8-second limit on how often
electronic signs can change the messages they beam to passing
motorists...

Planning
Commission Chairman Marc Hardesty said deferring the vote
until Feb. 10 will give more time for a decision that has
far-reaching effects on businesses, motorists, and the overall
appearance of the city. 'It’s something that will impact every
single citizen,' he said.

The
proposed 8-second rule also would apply to digital billboards,
which aren’t in Jacksonville but might be in the future.
Clear Channel
Outdoors has applied to build digital billboards at eight
locations around the city. Scenic Jacksonville, a nonprofit group,
has filed a lawsuit contending digital billboards violate a
1995 court agreement limiting billboards in the city.

The
legislation being considered by council is separate from the
legal question of whether digital billboards are allowed at
all. But if Clear Channel can proceed with digital billboards,
those would be subject to whatever rule is in place for how
often electronic signs can change messages...

The city’s
sign ordinance currently limits electronic signs to changing
once every three minutes, according to interpretations by the
city’s planning department and building division. However, the
language in the ordinance is confusing and has prevented the
city from enforcing the three-minute rule, even though most
electronic signs in Jacksonville change messages every few
seconds...

After the
planning commission makes a recommendation, the City Council
will have final say on the bill."

"An
appellate proceeding with national implications is
pending before the Arizona Court of Appeals.

Oral
arguments were heard on Thursday, September 30,
2010 at Mesa High School.

The
appeal pits Scenic Arizona, Inc. and the
Neighborhood Coalition of Greater Phoenix, Inc.
against American Outdoor Advertising, Inc. (AOA)
and the City of Phoenix Board of Adjustment over
permits issued for electronic
billboards.

It is a
high profile case in many respects."

You can
READ
THE AMICUS CURIAE (friend of the court) briefs
from the national ,Scenic America, Inc., and Clear
Channel Outdoor, Inc.

Some
communities may just never get rid of certain
types of signs, but some of those long abandoned
ads may even teach us a bit of history in the
bargain!

This
charming and very witty article discusses the old
signs painted on the sides of buildings many years
ago. Some of the signs had been painted over many
times with new advertising, but as the paint
fades, the older signs begin to emerge giving
clues to the building's past. Just like ghosts,
they have a habit of "rematerializing".

Bill
Kemp, Archivist/historian McLean County Museum of
History takes a look at this type of signage in
his article for Pantone.com. To read it, just
click on the link below.

Hollywood Park, Texas
- Homeowners Association In Fight with Billboard Company,
Turns Down Ad in Their Newsletter - Mayor says he "would not
disagree with (Lamar) threatening Litigation" against the HOA
for not accepting the ad.

"A proposal to erect
two electronic billboards in Hollywood Park has been a hot
topic.

Lamar Outdoor
Advertising wants to pay the city $20,000 each year for the
billboards, but many residents see them as visual pollution.
To plead its case, Lamar wanted to put a full page ad in
'Sparks', the Hollywood Park newsletter. But the homeowners
association, which controls the content of 'Sparks', turned
them down, saying the ad would be too political.

...Then Hollywood Park Mayor Bob
Sartor got in the middle of that advertising dispute. In an
e-mail, he suggested to Lamar that they may want to take
action against the Hollywood Park HOA. In the e-mail from
Sartor to Chris Stokes at Lamar, Sartor wrote that he 'would
not disagree with (Lamar) threatening litigation' against the
HOA..."